ANDREW JACKSON A Life and Times

Our seventh president, was quite a character--war hero, brawler, lawyer, carouser, and militant "small-d" democrat. H.W. Brands, of the University of Texas at Austin, presents a detailed, lively, and partisan look at Old Hickory's life, times, and legacy. He makes the period a time of high adventure and Jackson a daredevil hero of the common man. It's all good reading, if not objective history, and the tome gets spirited treatment from narrator John H. Mayer, whose virile, expressive baritone seems particularly apt for the subject. He seems to be discovering the book as he reads, and enjoying every syllable in the process. Y.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]